5 Ways Travel Brands Can Leverage Digital Marketing to Generate Sales

If there was an industry that literally shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the travel industry.

Countries shut down their borders, flights were canceled, refunds demanded, and everyone had to stay home to wait out the crisis.

As we regain some sense of normalcy, many travels are still uncertain and skeptical about starting over. Those that have taken the bold step to open their doors know that driving sales won’t be easy.

That’s why today’s article focuses on digital marketing strategies that brands can leverage to generate sales.

Cold Calling

The cold calling strategy works hand in hand with your other strategies to maximize deal closure.

The inquiries that come through web forms and other online engagements have the potential to become deals. So when you pick up the phone to follow up, you increase this possibility.

Best practices include:

• Focus on the prospect. When making the first call, let it be about the customer. Focus on their needs and address their concerns. Make them feel comfortable enough to share their idea of the perfect trip and use the information to deduce the best travel package for them.
• Know your stuff. Suppose your prospect wants to know the cheapest months to go skiing—do you have the answer on hand? Having in-depth knowledge of your industry including season-related activities is critical.
• Throw out your script. Travel isn’t like other products or services. Work on your introduction but after that go with the flow. Let their interests guide the travel destinations you share with them. Just don’t overwhelm them.

Email Marketing

As far as communication goes, email marketing is perfect for travel brands. It generates good open rates allowing you to share dreamy locations, offers, and user-generated content to warm up leads to conversion.

Here are top ways to increase conversions;

• Use eye-catching subscription forms on your website and blog posts. Introducing a subscription form allows interested people to sign up for more information from your brand.
• Offer lead magnets. Offer discount codes, travel brochures, interactive on-location videos, and useful tips in exchange for subscription and make good on your promises. You won’t just secure new subscribers, but customers too.
• Consider working with a professional SDR agency. These companies have the expertise to connect your business with new leads and customers. They offer a range of competitively priced bouquets to match your needs.
• Don’t ignore abandoned searches. Automate your email marketing tool to reach out to subscribers who abandoned their searches. Entice them to continue their search by sharing hot choices and deals in the areas they had surfed.

Influencer Marketing

Whether you’re speaking to thrill-seekers, families, burned-out folk in need of a break, or couples celebrating anniversaries, these people have several things in common.

They are considering transportation options, lodging, entertainment, and other travel logistics. At the height of it, these daydreamers want affordable, convenient, but exciting adventures.

While the beautiful locations listed on your travel website are great but travel influencers are the cherry topping.

Through striking photos and reviews, they create stylish and eye-catching content to help your audience imagine themselves in those destinations. Imagine and then go about planning something similar

Here are some benefits of collaborating with a travel influencer:

• Help increase brand awareness. Do you offer great services, reasonable prices, and trips to wonderful destinations? Getting the word out can be tough, but influencers, who typically document their entire experiences, can shed light on your brand across social platforms and strengthen your position in your industry.
• Help allay concerns about safety protocols. Safety, hygiene, and overall wellness are major concerns among travelers. Travel influencers promote the health and safety narrative by showing what you’re doing to keep travelers safe.
• Help convert planners to trip bookers. Think with Google estimates that up to 55 percent of leisure travelers go on 1-2 trips annually but spend a considerable amount of time planning. Allowing your influencer to offer their followers special travel discounts may encourage audiences to make bookings faster.

Run Promotions

The Think with Google research we alluded to earlier revealed that offering deals to leisure travelers can increase spontaneity.

30 percent would consider going on a trip they hadn’t planned on while a further 25 percent would travel to destinations they weren’t familiar with.

That’s the power of running promotions.

Here are promotional strategies worth considering:

• Offer cashback and discounts. Include words like “limited period offer,” “discounts,” or “cashback” in your marketing copy to attract online searchers to your brand. Also, consider issuing discount vouchers for their next trip to encourage repeat bookings.
• Gift customers with goodies that keep you top of mind. There are plenty of goodies you can come up with, including toiletry bags, custom water bottles, headphones, restaurant gift cards, and calendars.
• Toot your promos on social media. According to Hinge Marketing, 60 percent of buyers will look up a brand on social before buying from them. Maintain professional but fun and regularly updated social platforms.

Chatbot Marketing

We’re living in the era of self-research. People go online to look up different travel destinations, compare offers, and ask questions remotely before speaking to human representatives.

Adding a chatbot on your website facilitates 24-hour interactions with would-be travelers, current and past customers alike.

These people don’t have to fill up forms and wait to be contacted or hold the line for the next available agent. Your bot provides helpful information to engage visitors and encourage them to buy.

Here are practical ways chatbots can help improve customer experiences and push sales:

• Taking over human roles to improve efficiency and cut overhead costs. Bots can book airline tickets, make hotel reservations, and even recommend restaurants and interesting places to visit.
• Help with budgeting. Chatbots share vacation packages, promotions, and answer commonly asked questions to help people plan their travel budget.
• Gathering data. Chatbots gather engagement data your brand can use for retargeting and future targeting campaigns. Post-trip, the bot can share feedback forms with customers to gather information about their travel experiences.

 

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